John 3:28
| 70f | Greek ὅτι εἶπον ἐγώ οὐκ εἰμὶ ἐγώ. that I spoke I am not I. The most textual critical editions of the Greek NT based on the earliest manuscripts. Later copies of the NT perhaps considered that 'ego' was repeated accidentally and removed it. In the most recent modern critical editions the word "because/that" is placed in between brackets [ὅτι]. See both the NA28 and UBS5 edition on this verse. Thus, the reader is presented with two choices of readings: "that I said that" or "that I said I am not I". Which makes less sense? "That I said that" is most certainly redundant and makes no sense as ὅτι is a demonstrative conjunction, and is not what is found in the earliest manuscript evidence. Κατὰ Ἰωάννην 3:28 Greek NT: Westcott and Hort 1881 Κατὰ Ἰωάννην 3:28 Greek NT: Westcott and Hort / [NA27 and UBS4 variants] The Westcott and Hort edition and subsequent critical editions (Nestle-Aland and United Bible Societies' editions) prioritized the examination of the earliest manuscripts for reconstructing the original text of the New Testament. The reasoning behind this approach is that earlier manuscripts are generally considered to be closer in time to the original writings of the New Testament authors and are thus more likely to preserve the original wording accurately. Therefore, these critical editions typically give more weight to readings found in earlier manuscripts when determining the most likely original text. What this tells us is that the "extra" word ἐγώ ego (I/Myself) had been removed in many editions: Κατὰ Ἰωάννην 3:28 Greek NT: RP Byzantine Majority Text 2005 Κατὰ Ἰωάννην 3:28 Greek NT: Greek Orthodox Church Κατὰ Ἰωάννην 3:28 Greek NT: Tischendorf 8th Edition Κατὰ Ἰωάννην 3:28 Greek NT: Scrivener's Textus Receptus 1894 Κατὰ Ἰωάννην 3:28 Greek NT: Stephanus Textus Receptus 1550 |